Email is not killing the post office, the post office is killing the post office. Their service has become unreliable & inefficient, and their staff has become increasingly unhelpful. They are now close to being completely irrelevant, a situation the USPS has created for itself. Putting the right letter in the right box and providing service with a smile isn’t really that difficult – but they sure seem to be beyond the abilities of my local postal workers.

This is what I think.
You need to check your spelling. (Pice should be piece.)
You need to learn how to write more clearly. (Several errors in this post.)
You need to use the proper words. (In “it’s clear that it’s hear to stay for quite some time” should be here and not hear.)
Grammar and puctuation are incorrect in several places.

The point I am making is that no wonder people do not send letters very often. Maybe they are worried about having their name attached to their writings. In one’s own handwriting, it is difficult to deny one wrote something so poorly. I fear we have lost the ability to write anything more than LOL, IMHO, FWIW…

There is so much incorrect written communication online, it has become acceptable to write haphazardly with little concern for proper grammar and punctuation. I am not talking about chat or Facebook. I am referring to posts to a professional online site such as this one.

If the USPS is adopting the same attitude as the UK postal service here, and judging by the comments made, they seem to be, then they are killing themselves. OK so small letter mail is declining but with everyone starting to order more stuff online then parcel and small package deliveries must be up in a big way. Putting the prices up again and again was just signing their own death warrant allowing competitors to take away more of their business. They had a golden opportunity to readjust themselves to the shifting market but it seems they’ve blown it by sticking their head in the sand!

Direct deposits have hurt the postal service more than email. Consider that at one time most government employees received their paycheck via U.S. mail and everyone paid at least one regular bill via the mail, that’s is a lot of revenue that has dried up. Besides, many of the people sending quick email notes would not have the patience to write out a letter, fold it up, put it into an envelope, put a stamp on it and then take a walk to their mail receptacle to send it on its journey.

Parcels? USPS made a bad business decision a long time ago when they conceded to the demands of allowing the likes of UPS and FedEx to come onto the scene (USPS had virtual monopoly) stating that the real money was in 1st class mail.

You covered several things except two major items that negatively impacts the postal service. 1) While mail volume is decreasing, the housing industry hasn’t. More delivery addresses to deliver to means more employees and more miles to burn fuel upon. 2) There are plenty of small offices out in the middle of no where with another office fairly close by at some other hole in the wall. Business sense would say, close one or both of them down (Ever see a Wal~Mart lose money every time they open the door – year after year?). There is so much red tape that is almost takes an act of Congress to close one leaching office, not to mention all of them.

Unlike UPS and FedEx, USPS has to deliver to every address in the U.S. Try to UPS or FedEx something to some remote location in the middle of no where. If you can actually find one of them to make the delivery, it won’t be the equivalent of a First Class stamp cost for the service.

Political appointees? I don’t think there has been any since 1970′s.

Don’t forget the clerk, mail handler, letter carrier, rural carrier unions. Ever wonder why they can’t be flexible like most businesses, especially when it comes to staff to cut down long lines? You won’t have to look very far to find more red tape in this department.

Regarding delivery of 1st Class Mail on time, their delivery scores are better now than they were 20 years ago.

Email simply cuts into personal mail delivery. I have countlessly sent referrals to USPS for the shipment of mobile phone replacements or new devices. It has been a slower but reliable service. As all the posts here describe, their financial trouble is that of poor business practice and horrible management, crippled by Union induced laziness.

They will only feel the crunch when all bills are electronic. Product shipment due to online shopping should more then cover lack of personal hand written letters! Oh and Canada post already tried charging for emails into the country… That was a joke and a stain of tarnish on Cdn ppl as the world laughed. If the US or Canada tries to charge for email I will personally create a work around system to continue online msg communication as it were. The internet should be ‘free cyberspace’ forever but much of it is ‘staked’ by Corporations and Government. The only thing you should have to pay for is ISP access, fancy communication (example-computer to landline/mobile) but there will always be a free alternative and it should not be blocked or hindered by Corporate Government circles. They don’t own the internet, only the land users reside on. ‘Cyberspace’ is international waters you greedy corporate wh0r€M0NG€Rs. Just my thoughts though…